Someday
by PhAnToM PhIrE and TYBA
Summary: (one-shot weirdness) Kaoru wants to find out more about the real Battousai, and not from Kenshin....but what will her search teach her?


**_Hiya_****_ all! I haven't done a Kenshin fic in a long, long time. And I think all the past ones I've done are one-shot humorized pieces of crap._**

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**_Well, this one is still a one-shot piece of crap, but at least it's not another sad attempt at humor. This is something I thought about after reading through my mange thirty million times…XD I think it might be a little unaccurate, but I tried my best._**

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**_Disclaimer: I do not own or use the Kenshin characters in anyway for my own personal profit. SO LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!_**

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**..::…::..**

**Someday**

By: Phantom Phire

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Kamiya Kaoru marched down the busy streets of the village purposefully. Unbeknownst to the people of the small town, or in fact anyone else that knew her, she was on a mission. She'd left the dojo in Kenshin's care, saying she had an errand to attend to and left. 

            Her mission, you ask?

            To find out all she could about the warrior known as the Battousai.

            She knew his past was something that Kenshin preferred not to talk about. If she couldn't force any information from the Battousai himsel—

            No. She was wrong, he _wasn't_ the Battousai. He was Himura Kenshin, the wandering swordsman, once known _as_ the Battousai.

            But still, the knowledge called to her and curiosity won. She knew that Sano had somehow got some information about Kenshin when he first came to pick a fight with him. Maybe, if she searched long and hard enough, she could find something, anything, that she didn't already know.

            There are a few basic facts known by the whole of Japan. One is that the Battousai was a legendary Hitokiri during the Bakumatsu (Did I spell that right?). Another is that he killed many, many people on the side of the patriots. Another is that nothing else is known about him.

            Sure, a lot of people saw Kenshin wandering around. But they all say him as a clumsy but polite young man who could wield a sword when he needed to. Fewer people knew who he had been, and even fewer knew anything about it. It would be hard to find out anything at all that wasn't previously stated.

            Kaoru decided to start with the people who's grandfathers or ancestors had participated in the war. Maybe they'd know exactly _who_ the Battousai was. She turned a corner, walked up the garden path of a friend's house, and knocked on the door. 

            "Hel—Oh, Kaoru-san! Genki desu?" A middle-aged woman with brown hair opened the door. 

            "Fine, Tae-san. I have a question to ask you," Kaoru replied, smiling warmly at the older female. 

            "Ask awa—Where are my manners? Come in, Kaoru," She invited. Kaoru stepped into her house, listening the sound of her footsteps on the polished wood, hearing the clack of the door as it closed. Tae urged her to sit down and have a cup of tea. "So, what were you going to ask?" Tae finally said after pouring cups of green tea for both of them.

            "I was wondering—your grandfather was a patriot in the war, right?" Kaoru asked, sipping the hot tea.

            "Why, yes, Kaoru-san. Why do you ask?"

            "Does he happen to have any old journals or scrolls or something laying around?" She asked hopefully. If she was lucky, than maybe…

            "I don't know. I think so." Tae frowned in concentration as she tried to remember where they might have been. "I think they might be up in the attic. Would you like to take a look?"  
  


            "Of course, if I can, Tae-san." Kaoru smiled gratefully as Tae got up, leading her through several hallways before they reached another door. She opened it and climbed a set of stairs, emerging into a dark, dusty, enclosed space and throwing open a window. "Mou, I should get this attic cleaned," she remarked. "Anyway, search for all you want, Kaoru-san. If you need me, I will be down in the kitchen." With a smile and wave, Tae was gone.

            Kaoru sighed as she looked at the three-inch layer of dust on everything laying in the attic. Tae was a very tidy housekeeper, but she guessed her rules didn't apply to the attic. _Where would be a good place to store a journal or diary?_ She wondered. 

            Kaoru walked towards the nearest box, blowing the thick, slippery dust off and carefully prying it open. It held piles of old, woolen clothes. She shut the box and lifted it, moving it to the ground. Underneath was another of boxes.

            She continued checking boxes, lifting and dropping and stacking and searching, to no avail. She found old clothes, pictures and drawings, toys and little knick knacks, but no sign of any sort of books.

            It was then she spied a book case leaning in the corner.

            Curiously, Kaoru made her way over, stepping in between piles of the old, worn-out junk and placed her hand on a shelf. With a quick swipe, she looked at the gray layer covering her palm and winced. She blew as hard as she could at the bookcase, and gray particles flew everywhere. 

            Stacks of scrolls and few bound books laid jumbled into the shelves. She picked up the nearest she saw—it was an ink drawing of a waterfall in a forest. She set it down and picked up the next; a novel written by someone. 

            Kaoru was beginning to think that maybe this was impossible, finding out anything at all about the Battousai. _No, Kaoru, you're just being stupid! This is only the first house you've tried, and or course you knew that he would be hard to know about!_ She scolded herself. With renewed energy, she reached for a small, red leather-bound book stuffed in the back.

            And lo and behold, she won the lottery.

            Kaoru's eyes grew wide as she scanned the pages. It was a very old book, with yellowed pages and faded ink, but she could still read the writing. 

            _Today the regiment moved far over the plains. We met battle halfway, exactly as the general predicted. And again, we won our battle. Because of the Hitokiris, we have won. I am grateful—this is another step towards the peace that we all dream of._

_            The Hitokiri I most admire—Hitokiri Battousai. I have only seen the man once, but he moves with the speed of the Gods, and none escape his blade. His eyes are golden and sharp like a Tiger's. And yet, somewhere in that deadly stare there is sadness and anger. If I have judged this Hitokiri right, then it sadness for the people—for he is forced to kill many that oppose us. Anger—at himself, for destroying so many lives. I remember hearing something one has said to another—"Just because I'm a Hitokiri does not mean I enjoy killing." I believe the same holds true for this particular Hitokiri. _

_            And yet he continues with what he must do. Formerly, his job was to hide among the shadows, slaying those with lightening speed and disappearing as fast as he arrives. And now he is a free warrior, fighting to help protect his fellow comrades. _

_            He does not wish to fight, to destroy, but he raises his sword and kills for the sake of the people. Yet to make life better for those we love at home, we must destroy who could be another person's loved one. Either way, we are hurting someone—the people we kill, and the worry we cause for those who wait our return. I hope with all my heart that—_

            Kaoru let the book drop from her hands. It clattered to the floor, the pages fluttering to a close. Tears began to gather in her eyes—this man had so vividly described the Battousai she felt as if she knew him.

            But then, she realized, she did. This man was describing the one she knew today—Kenshin. Something had to be wrong—something had to be different.

            Kaoru replaced the book and stood up, dusting off her kimono as she did. She glanced idly around the room, almost as if it didn't exist. It felt like a dream. Somehow, underneath this new revelation, the real answer laid hidden. And she, Kamiya Kaoru, would find out eventually. It might take a lot of guessing, of meditation and asking questions that didn't belong, but she would find out eventually. 

            She strolled over to the far wall, throwing up another window, watching as gray dust swirled out. She stuck her head out as well, breathing in deep and feeling the spring breeze ruffle her hair. The wind danced through the emerald trees and darted past her, whispering as it went. _Someday, _it said to her, _You'll__ know. _

            Kaoru smiled and closed both windows, turning and heading down the stairs. She thanked Tae and started off homeward bound to greet a certain red-head…

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**_There, all done. I hope you like it even if it's…a little weird…((Weird is an understatement…)) Reviews are your best friend ^^_**

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**_~PhantomPhire_**


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